Essence of Lavender
by Miss Rosula
Summary: Financial problems drive Elaine and her parents to Domino City, after her father is granted a job at Kaiba Corp; however, much awaits fifteen-year-old Elaine. Battle City is on the go and unfortunately, she soon finds herself entangled in all the mess.
1. Prologue: Time To Say Goodbye

Welcome, everyone, to my first duology. If you're wondering what a duology is, just think of a trilogy, but with two parts instead of three. Mine is called **Lavender Duology**. Anyone who knows who I fangirl over can hazard a guess as to _why_. I'd might as well mention that this isn't my first fic, seeing as I'm also known on here as Rugrat247, the authoress of **Change is Inevitable**. Anyway, without further ado, please enjoy **Essence of Lavender**!**  
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**(Insert Long Disclaimer Here)**

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**ESSENCE OF LAVENDER  
By Jour Reveur**

**Prologue: Time To Say Goodbye**

My brother always used to tell me that life was like an obstacle course, however, being the ignorant nine year old I was, I'd simply believed he'd been cracking a rip-off of Forrest Gump. However, now that I'm older, I can unriddle the knowledge his words possessed. Life is an obstacle course, some stages being more difficult to overcome than others, yet one wishes to tackle this obstacle course right till the very end... Well, at least my brother did, until he had to leave. He told me he held no choice in the matter, and as any simple-minded child would, I didn't understand his cryptic statements, just as he couldn't whisper that sullen word to me that everyone must one day face. Sure, he hinted to his impending fate in many ways, but he simply couldn't allow that dismal word to roll off his tongue.

Typically, I bombarded him with several useless questions. Stupid things like, "Where are you going, Jace? Can I come too? When will you be back?" and my 'personal favourite'. . .Why...are you crying?"

My dear brother, there's not a day that you don't cross my mind. Not a day that I don't revel high in clouds, dreaming up ways that we could one day meet again. Now, however, I must leave you here, resting peacefully beneath the lush, green ground, so plain and simple... So unlike you.

A sullen sigh left my lips as I flung my duffy bag from my shoulder, unzipped it, and carefully grasped a bouquet of lavenders from it. Then, I gently rested the bouquet against his simple grave. A grave I believed was far too serious and depressing to be considered my vibrant brother's, because he was just that: vibrant. Sadly, that part of _me_ was slowly hindering along with the ticking of time; it _had_ been ever since my brother's death, six years ago, and, unfortunately, this left quite the lonely shell in its place.

"I'm sorry, Jace," I whispered solemnly, "But dad's struggling here in Bordeaux...and mum's unable to find a job here to effectively aid in our financial issues, so we must make haste for America. He's been offered a job at a gaming company in a city called Domino, so..." Drawling off as my eyes scanned over his grave, I bit my bottom lip in a guilt-laden fashion. "We can't take you with us, but...your favourite flower." I flashed a small smile as I gestured to the freshly placed lavenders, although my smile was only weighed down by somberness. "I know I'm weird, but they smell just like you, which is why lavenders are my favourite flower too." Laughing lightly, I muttered to myself, "Here I go again, sounding majorly sappy, but..." I huffed sharply. "I'm gonna miss not being able to visit you, but I know that you're always with me, right?"

I paused for a moment, as if half expecting some abnormal sign to seize my attention, but obviously that was an insane concept.

My hazel eyes fell upon Jace's grave once again, hearing a car door slam shut behind me. My parents were here to say goodbye too; they already knew I was here. I'd immediately walked here after school, knowing this was the last time I'd visit this graveyard. I flashed a quick wave of my hand towards Jace's grave, and with a tone of hesitance and regret laced into one, like two ribbons entwined, I whispered, "Goodbye, my dear brother."

Turning towards my nearing parents, I suddenly felt something land onto my shoulder with a disgusting _splat_. I glanced at my shoulder to find it was covered in a runny, white and green substance: bird crap. "Oh, great!" I sickeningly spat with sarcasm, removing my black cardigan and scrunching it into a messy ball, before throwing it into my duffy bag. "Pray tell why people think birds crapping on your shoulder is good luck!" I hissed bitterly, flinging my bag back over my shoulder and, mood now exasperated, I practically stormed off for my parents' car.

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I hope you enjoyed the prologue of **Essence of Lavender**. Thanks goes to **The Duelist's Heiress** for assisting in the title of this fic! Please review! You all know you want to...because once I've had at least five reviews I'll post the already-complete chapter one. So everyone review and recommend please!


	2. Chapter 1: A New Start

Bonjour, mes amis! I give you chapter one. Thanks to for reviewing! Everyone be sure to check out part two of this duology, **Memories of Lavender**. It's a MarikOC fic; the second part to **Lavender Duology**). I mentioned it in the prologue to this story.

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**Chapter 1: A New Start**

It had been a long, exhausting flight from France to America. Seriously, I didn't think I could be so tired after sitting on my butt for hours on end! I'm not the most patient of people...and I fidget a fair bit, so I think it's safe to say my mum wasn't really too keen on sitting beside me on the plane, but at least I got the window seat. It distracted me a little more than the plane's entertainment system had. Daydreaming was my favourite past time and so, on a plane flight, what more could a hopeless daydreamer ask for than a window seat and a clear, cloudless day? Yeah; not much, right?

"Elaine," my mother immediately seized my attention.

"Yeah?" I flatly replied, now slumped in the backseat of my father's little, second-hand vehicle. It wasn't very flash at all, plus it was a little cramped, however, I figured it was still better than nothing.

"We'll be enrolling you into that school on Monday," she alerted, gesturing to a huge, flash High School as we drove past. I looked out the window to my left. "It's called Domino High."

I sighed softly, remembering my old school, my old friends, and the fact that this was my new life. "Cool," I bluntly stated, although at this current moment, everything seemed to be anything _but_ cool.

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I explored the rather sad sight around be, which didn't take too long, considering it was simply tiny. I'd be sharing a bedroom with my parents in this crappy, little apartment. The largest room had a floorspace of around five square meters—that was the Lounge, which we'd be using as our bedroom, thus the room that was supposed to be the bedroom in this place was our Lounge. Peachy. Just peachy. But at least my parents had absolutely no sex life. After all, they were both forty four.

One thing that bugs me about this, which I know will always cross my mind while I'm here, is that this is an apartment, which involuntarily causes that peculiar phrase to cross my mind. "Why are they called apartments when they're joined together?" I murmured with an exasperated sigh. I dragged my small suitcase into the "bedroom" and shoved it in the closest corner, to the left of the door.

Then I made my way for the front door, knowing my parents weren't home, but visiting the local bank and all that jazz, so I didn't need to shout out an, "I'm going to look around the neighbourhood, so I haven't been abducted from my crappy apartment by rapists. Just thought I'd letcha know." I then realized they'd no doubt hear if anyone broke-in anyway, seeing as it took around nine or ten steps to get from the front door to the opposite end of the apartment.

I slammed the door behind me, and I wouldn't have been very surprised if a slab of concrete had dropped from the ceiling. This was so different to the life I was accustomed to back in Bordeaux...and I loathed it.

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With glum steps, I bitterly left the apartment building's ground floor. Five small, concrete stairs led from the building's entryway to the sidewalk, which was stationed on a silent, secluded street, sky scrapers towering over me and blocking the fiery orb that is the sun. I had earlier heard heavy thumping upon concrete, so I knew it'd recently rained hard. "What a wonderful vie—" My heart jumped as I abruptly slipped on the first step, falling flat on my rear as I slid down the remaining steps with a groan. "Ah, bitch!" I cursed with an understandably negative edge to my tone. This day just kept getting better and better!

With a bitter huff, feeling oh-so-sorry for myself, I brushed my now-grazed hands on my black jeans. Now my stupid hands were stinging. "Just great!" I hissed, although as I rose to my feet, noticing the rear area of my jeans was rather wet, I was glad that they were black.

The sudden sounds of scraping upon concrete seized my attention, my hazel eyes snapping to a lone card that was skimming across the street. Curiosity getting the best of me, I scurried onto the street to grab the card. It took a few stomps, but I finally trapped the card beneath my right foot. I immediately knelt down and retrieved it, then examined the peculiar card in wonderment.

Upon the card was a picture of a butch, golden leg, which was chained to something unseen. At the top of the card typed up in English, I translated the words into my own language: French. "Right Leg of the Forbidden One." I sighed in slight relief. I've taken English for several years, and I suddenly felt a bit more confident about attending Domino High. It seemed I knew a bit more English than I'd first thought. Maybe making friends would be a bit easier than I'd first anticipated.

A sudden hiss jolted me from my thoughts. "Where the hell did you lose the damn thing, you moron?!" I gazed to my left, noting two men storming down the street...heading my way. They wore dark purple cloaks, which certainly made them look dangerous and intimidating. I wouldn't be surprised if they were; after all, _my_ apartment was on this street.

"Hey!" I jumped at this, realizing the men were staring at me with lethal glares. "She has it!" My eyes widened in horror as he gestured to me. "Look! It's right there in her hand!"

At this, I immediately realized they were wanting the card, and I would've given it to them without a fuss...if they hadn't started sprinting my way with utterly insane looks on their face! "Holy shit! Take it!" I burst out, flinging the card their way with scream; a burst of adrenaline rushed through me, thrusting my legs into motion and I swiftly turned on my heel, then hastily began to sprint down the street—away from them—for the main road. I'd noted that the main road was nearby my house on the drive here. I glanced over my shoulder as I sprinted—very quickly, if I may add—and I noticed they weren't pursuing me. "Thank goodness for that!" I breathed, although my legs wouldn't be stopping until I was on the main road and under the watchful eye of the main road's rushing crowds.

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Hope you enjoyed chapter one of **Essence of Lavender**. Please review and recommend!


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